The Higgs Boson: How to Create Everything from Nothing With God Particle

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Will Myers

Physicists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have reported new results showing that the “Higgs-like” boson discovered in 2012 is indeed consistent with expectations for a standard model Higgs boson (sometimes called the “God Particle”). This important particle could help explain the “how” of creation ex nihilo, or how God created everything out of nothing. The Higgs also gives mass to matter, a necessary condition for life to exist.

In 2012, when a newfound “Higgs-like” particle made international headlines, the only properties physicists had yet measured were the particle’s mass and the rate at which it was seen to decay into a number of final states (primarily into two photons).1 Yes, these properties were consistent with those expected of the Higgs boson—but there are potentially other particles that could exhibit these characteristics, too.

Thus, since 2012, physicists have been working hard to determine the true identity of this particle. Is it really the Higgs or is it some other particle? Preliminary results from these studies were recently released.2

Creating Everything from Nothing

The Bible describes God as creating the cosmos—all matter, space, time, and energy—from nothing, a scenario (known as creation ex nihilo) supported by big bang cosmology. Exploring and understanding the Higgs boson could give us a glimpse into how God went about accomplishing this awesome work. (Hence one reason why some have nicknamed the Higgs “the God Particle.”)

Without the Higgs boson, the universe as we know it would not exist. Research indicates that in the beginning of the universe, all particles were massless, so everything travelled at the speed of light. Moreover, the universe was most likely completely empty since no energy existed to create any particles. However, through a process called the Higgs mechanism, enough energy was released to help power the big bang and create matter. At the same time, the Higgs mechanism gave some particles mass, allowing them to come to rest. Without mass, life could not exist.

How the Higgs Boson Works

Most particles have a potential energy surface that looks like a bowl or valley with the lowest point at the origin, where the field of particles is zero (see figure 1). Another way of understanding this potential is to imagine standing at the bottom of an empty swimming pool. In order to get out of the pool you would need to expend energy to climb, no matter the direction. Likewise, energy is required to make a non-zero number of particles.


Figure 1: Typical energy potential
Credit: Thomas Phillips

The key to the Higgs mechanism is that the Higgs potential is shaped like what physicists refer to as a Mexican hat potential, with a peak at the origin rather than a valley (see figure 2). (For this potential, picture sitting on a bicycle at the top of a hill; any direction you roll, you will gain kinetic energy.) So, the Higgs boson’s lowest energy state is not at zero but is at some finite value of the Higgs field. In technical terms, the Higgs has a non-zero vacuum-expectation-value (VEV).


Figure 2: The Higgs potential, which resembles a Mexican hat
Credit: Gonis/Wikimedia/Creative Commons

After spontaneous symmetry breaking (in which the system “chooses” a direction for the field),3 the Higgs field has a non-zero VEV, which means that there is a Higgs field everywhere in the universe. You might say it is omnipresent. When this happened at the beginning of the universe, the process released enough energy to create matter and to help power the big bang. Additionally, because all other particles need to propagate through this Higgs field, it slows them down (similar to a person walking through water) and gives the particles mass. The stronger the coupling to the Higgs field, the more massive the particles are. Without mass, matter wouldn’t exist, and without matter, we wouldn’t exist.

Confirming the Higgs Boson Discovery

In July 2012, physicists at Fermilab announced evidence for a new particle that decays into b-quark pairs. Two days later, physicists at CERN announced the discovery of the Higgs-like boson, which decays into pairs of bosons (photons, W’s, orZ’s). Because the Higgs couples to mass, it wants to decay into a pair of the heaviest particles possible. The heaviest particles with mass less than half a Higgs (125 GeV/c2) are b quarks; most Higgs bosons decay into a pair of b’s.

There are many other processes that produce pairs of b quarks and events that look nearly the same as a Higgs decay process, making it very difficult to distinguish Higgs decays from this background. However, physicists from Fermilab and CERN have announced research results that did just that. The Fermilab team produced results with a significance of three standard deviations (3σ). In particle physics, 3σ is the threshold to claim evidence; claiming discovery requires exceeding a 5σ threshold.

Fortunately, CERN physicists were able to achieve a 5σ threshold thanks to the LHC’s higher energy and higher intensity, which allowed them to look for very rare Higgs decays (a pair of photons, for example) that had much less background interference. By analyzing new data (in addition to what was analyzed in 2012), the CERN team was able to find evidence for the Higgs particle decaying into fermions (quarks and leptons). Because each fermion has a different mass, the coupling to the Higgs is different for each fermion, thus the branching fraction for the Higgs to decay into each type of fermion is also different.

So far, all the evidence continues to support the hypothesis that this particle is the standard model Higgs. However, much work remains to be done before we can claim that the particle discovered in 2012 is really the Higgs boson that may have played a critical role in God’s creative miracles. (TP,RTB)

*** Will Myers

 

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Q&A: What Is the Purpose of the Numbers in the Genesis Genealogies?

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Will Myers

To whom it may concern,

I’m Jade, a second-year engineering student who’s struggling through Genesis, and I’m currently caught on the genealogies in Genesis 5. I did read your articles on them, but they all left out one problem: the numbers that the genealogies give.

The other telescoped genealogies don’t give these numbers, and even if the words can mean grandfathered, great-grandfathered, etc. wouldn’t it just mean that X was this old when Y was born regardless of how many generations between? 

Just wondering what you think these numbers mean; I’m really happy with an old-earth view of Genesis outside of these genealogies.

Regards,

Jade

****

Jade, thank you for your question. In a series of earlier articles we discuss compelling evidence that the genealogical lists in Genesis 5 and 11 are incomplete and include gaps that can be substantial chronologically. One reason is that the Hebrew wordyālad is much more general than its usual English translation of “begat.” Hence, the numbers in Genesis 5 do not necessarily record the age of the progenitor when the named descendant was born. For more detail, we encourage you to review part 5 of that earlier series, especially the section “Shelah and Eber as Typical Examples.”

But the essence of your comments raises the question, why does the Bible include the genealogical lists in Genesis 5 and 11 with such numerical detail if they do not serve a chronological purpose? After all, it is the apparent precision of these lists that has led scholars, such as Archbishop James Ussher, to attempt calculation of a creation date.

A century ago, B. B. Warfield wrote an article in The Princeton Theological Review in which he observed that Genesis 5 contains much more information than just the age of the progenitor (or father) at the birth of a descendant (or son). He opines that the reason for this inclusion “cannot have been a chronological one: for all the items of information furnished do not serve a chronological purpose.”1 He suggests that the additional detail serves “to make a vivid impression upon us of the vigour and grandeur of humanity in those old days of the world’s prime.”2 He concludes:

It is quite true that, when brought together in sequence, name after name, these notes assume the appearance of a concatenated chronological scheme. But this is pure illusion, due wholly to the nature of the parenthetical insertions which are made.3

In summary, Warfield’s point is that Genesis 5 was not meant to convey precise father-to-son genealogies, but to provide representative family lines to emphasize the long lifetimes of the pre-flood patriarchs relative to the lifetimes of subsequent eras.

We agree with Warfield, but would like to further develop his idea to make the point that one purpose of the Genesis 5 and 11 genealogies is to show that God keeps His promises.

First, in addition to the gratuitous detail that Warfield observes, Genesis 5 adds the words “and he died” (KJV, NASB) at the end of the record for each patriarch. These words do not appear in later genealogical records in the Bible; so, their inclusion for the pre-flood patriarchs must be significant. We believe it is meant to demonstrate fulfillment of God’s promise to Adam that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would “surely die” (Genesis 2:17, NASB). Adam did not die immediately upon eating the fruit—but he did die eventually, as did his offspring. God fulfilled His promise.

Second, notice the contrast between lifetime lengths in Genesis 5 and those in Genesis 11 and later. The average lifetime of ten pre-flood patriarchs was 702 years; eight of them (including Noah) lived about 900 years or longer. But after the flood, patriarch lifetimes uniformly declined, from 438 years for Arphaxad to 205 for Terah.4Later, Moses lived 120 years, and Joseph and Joshua both died at 110.

Genesis 6:3 states that God decided to limit human lifetimes to 120 years in order to curtail wickedness. Two possible interpretations have been suggested for this verse.

  1. The wicked humans alive when God spoke the words recorded in Genesis 6:3 would all be dead in 120 years. This is not explicit from the biblical text, but it is plausible.
  2. This verse is understood as a gnomic statement or an aphorism. Because humankind’s long lifetimes enhanced the spread of wickedness, God hypernaturallymodified the human body to reduce average lifetime.

 

We tend to agree with the second interpretation—at least in part because it is consistent with the biblical data illustrated by the chart below (even though the reduced lifetimes occurred gradually, rather than immediately). If this is correct, a purpose of the genealogical lists in Genesis 5 and 11 may be to show fulfillment of God’s promise by illustrating how lifetimes shortened from pre-flood to post-flood generations. A comprehensive father-to-son genealogy is not necessary to make this point; an abbreviated list of representative family lines suffices. And we believe that is what Genesis does.

In summary, the idea that Genesis 5 and 11 are precise genealogical lists is, as Warfield says, “pure illusion.” Instead, the lifetime data is incidental to the primary purpose, which we believe is to illustrate the mortality of humans as promised by God in Genesis 2–3. A corollary purpose is to contrast the lifetimes of the pre-flood patriarchs with those post-flood, showing the hastening of mortality. God keeps all His promises.

INTRODUCING GUEST WRITERS:

Daniel J. Dyke, MDiv, MTh

Mr. Daniel J. Dyke received his Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary 1981 and currently serves as professor of Old Testament at Cincinnati Christian University in Cincinnati, OH.

Dr. Hugh Henry, PhD

Dr. Hugh Henry received his PhD in Physics from the University of Virginia in 1971, retired after 26 years at Varian Medical Systems, and currently serves as Lecturer in physics at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, KY.

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Hypothetical Superposition; A Spiritual State

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Will Myers

Humans have almost unlimited imagination; although, the brain is locally contained in our skulls. There can exist a higher state of consciousness without the physical body. There has been numerous reports of out of body experiences, and is now considered a common phenomenon.  The brain directs one through routine activity, and the mind is potentials of the brain; the chance probabilities of future events. The mind has a quantum mechanical nature which is the physics of probabilities.

Thoughts have an electrical quantity associated with the process. The long debated question about “where is the observer” comes into play because it is our self conscious. Many scientist says that the observer can not be found. As a matter of fact, the observer has not been found even with magnetic resonance imagery and other advanced electrical detection devices even though humans can step back and see a logical sequence develop within their minds; they can imagine a natural process. It would be nonsensical to state that there is no observer. We would be denying our personal identity; our self-awareness.

One can pose hypothetically that our minds can exist out of our skulls. Our minds (brains) consist of a network of electrical circuits alone with other substances that aid in our life process of thoughts. There is no reason that our minds can not exist in an enormous space like the volume of the universe or maybe a smaller volume. We would still have the observer which could see and imagine things at any location in the space of the extended mind without time restrains.

Quantum mechanics can predict the structure of such existence. Many scientist believe that a mind can exist within one atom or nuclei. This would need much less energy, and would function on the quantum mechanical level. I believe in the vast space existence of the expanded mind with an observer who gives one self-awareness because in comparison the universe is vast without an end of space; one only run out of energy which than defines the space.

Biblical scripture takes on a more realistic view of the super-natural, and a more believable spiritual future when considering the possibility of an expanded mind. Certainly, A highly superior mind with enormous powers would be needed to expand each chosen human mind. I call the entity God. The Son of God came in the flesh to call us into the Kingdom of God, and gave us the conditions.

 

Luke 3:22;  “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Acts 7:55;  “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,”
Revelation 4:2;  “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.”

2 Peter 1:16;  “[ The Trustworthy Prophetic Word ] For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

Revelation 22:12;  “[ Jesus Testifies to the Churches ] “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”
“At the coming of the Son of God the chosen Ones shall be caught up in the clouds at the meeting of Him. One is left while the other who was by his side shall be taken up”, New Testament.
“At the Coming of the Lord don’t believe who says he is over there or he is in the desert because all eyes shall witness the coming of the Lord.” New Testament.

*** Will Myers

 

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The Higgs Boson and the Big Bang

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Will Myers

Particles can generally be classified into two categories, according to the quantum mechanical rules that they obey: fermions and bosons. The Higgs particle is called a boson because it falls into the second category.

Evidence for the Higgs boson was obtained from data collected at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland, as well as at Fermilab’s Tevatron collider in the United States. Although the Higgs boson has been nicknamed the “God particle,” it is widely agreed that the name is more for publicity than accuracy, and many physicists do not like it. “I detest the name ‘God particle’. I am not particularly religious, but I find the term an ‘in your face’ affront to those who [are],” wrote physicist Vivek Sharma, a leader of the Higgs search. “I do experimental physics not GOD.”2

In order to understand the importance of the Higgs boson, it is necessary to review some modern physics. Quantum mechanics is a theory that successfully describes the behavior of matter and energy at subatomic and atomic scales, and quantum field theory is an extension of quantum mechanics. A field is a quantity that has a value at each point in space. Some fields are characterized by numbers at each point in space and are called scalar fields. A temperature field, for instance, would assign a temperature to each point in space and could, for instance, be used to show how the temperature within a room varies with location. Vector fields have both numbers and directions associated with each point in space; an example of a vector field would be the electric field surrounding a charged object.3

There is a tendency to intuitively think of particles as being like little round marbles. In modern physics, however, the reality is more complicated. Roughly speaking, quantum field theory views particles as “ripples” in the fields.4

Researchers think that one of these fields—a scalar field called the Higgs field—gives particles mass through their interaction with this field. Particles that interact strongly with the Higgs field have more mass, and vice versa. The Higgs boson, in turn, can be thought of as the smallest possible ripple in the Higgs field.5

The Standard Model is the theory that describes the relationships between elementary particles and three of the four fundamental forces (it does not include gravity). Prior to July 2012, physicists had confirmed the existence for all the elementary particles of the Standard Model except one—the Higgs boson.

There is no doubt that this discovery, if confirmed, is a triumph for the Standard Model.

Some are claiming that this discovery is a blow to Christianity. The Higgs boson is “another nail in the coffin of religion,” said one Cambridge University professor.6However, noted theoretical physicist and professing atheist Stephen Hawking lost one hundred dollars betting that the Higgs boson would not be found, as he had apparently hoped that a more “elegant” mechanism would be found that could explain how particles have mass.7

Although quantum field theories are not directly related to the creation-evolution controversy, the Higgs field is sometimes discussed within the context of Big Bang cosmology. Shortly after the supposed Big Bang, proponents speculate that as the very high temperatures in the early universe decreased, a change in the Higgs field occurred, so that it was able to interact with particles in such a way as to give them mass. (The theoretical change in the Higgs field at high temperatures is somewhat similar to the way a magnet can lose its magnetism if heated above a high temperature.)8

But, presumably, particles would have mass as a result of their interaction with the Higgs field in either a creation or an evolution scenario, provided that temperatures are sufficiently low. Why would a theoretical change in the Higgs field at extremely high temperatures necessarily imply that such high temperatures were actually present in the early universe? Moreover, a major media outlet acknowledged the lack of direct evidence for this hypothetical high-temperature transition in the Higgs field, despite the general pro-evolution bias of the popular press.9

Physicist and popular author Michio Kaku wrote:

In quantum physics, it was a Higgs-like particle that sparked the cosmic explosion [the Big Bang]. In other words, everything we see around us, including galaxies, stars, planets and us, owes its existence to the Higgs boson.10

Kaku’s statement is ambiguous because it is not clear whether he is claiming that the Higgs boson itself or another still-hypothetical Higgs-like particle would have been the cause of the Big Bang. He is apparently alluding to the fact that Big Bang cosmologists speculate that a Higgs-like scalar field, the inflaton, could have caused inflation—a phenomenon needed in order to solve serious (if not fatal) problems in the original Big Bang model.

The inflaton is still hypothetical, but Big Bang cosmologists are convinced that, given the chaotic conditions they believe prevailed in the early universe, inflation-driving scalar fields would have been present in at least some regions of space. In older inflation models, inflation occurred shortly after the Big Bang and lasted for a very brief time. Theorists have since concluded, however, that when quantum mechanical fluctuations are taken into account, inflation in different regions of space would end at different times. The result is that a bubble or pocket of space that has stopped inflating will be surrounded by a region of space that is still expanding at a much faster rate. Because the still-inflating region is expanding much more rapidly than the pocket, the pocket becomes an island “universe” in a “sea” of still-inflating space.

This process is thought to continue indefinitely, so that infinitely many of these island universes are formed, and our universe is only one. Moreover, this process never ends—once inflation starts, it continues forever in the bulk of space. In such a view, it is onlyour universe that supposedly began 13.7 billion years ago. Hence, the idea that our universe is just one of infinitely many universes in a great multiverse is a direct consequence of modern inflationary theory.11

In this view, inflation could be viewed as a cause of the Big Bang, and this is likely why Kaku suggested that a Higgs-like particle (or more precisely, a Higgs-like scalar field) was the “spark” for the Big Bang. However, the inflaton is hypothetical! Although some theoretical physicists might attempt to argue that the Higgs field is the inflaton, others have rejected this idea for technical reasons.12 Paul Steinhardt, one of the world’s leading inflation theorists, acknowledged just last year that the inflaton is hypothetical and distinct from the Higgs field:

The leading example is a hypothesized relative of the magnetic field known as a scalar field, which, in the particular case of inflation, is known as the “inflaton” field. The famous Higgs particle now being sought at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider near Geneva derives from another scalar field [emphasis added].13

Even theoretical physicist and Big Bang evangelist Lawrence Krauss has acknowledged that the discovery of the Higgs boson in and of itself does not provide an explanation for the cause of the Big Bang, saying that determining the cause for this supposed event may be beyond our present technological capabilities.14

Thus, Kaku’s editorial is confusing at best and misleading at worst.

Reuters ran a story containing a statement that the Higgs field “attracted the flying debris of the big bang and turned it into stars, planets and galaxies.”15 This statement (perhaps unintentionally) gives the erroneous impression that the Higgs field can explain star and galaxy formation within the evolutionary model.

Yes, in the Standard Model, particles have mass due to their interaction with the Higgs field, and evolutionists believe that gravitational interactions between massive particles ultimately resulted in the formation of stars and galaxies. But because of serious difficulties in their theories, evolutionists have no convincing explanations as to how gravity could do this, and the (likely) discovery of the Higgs boson has in no way changed that.

Unfortunately, some physicists (though not all) do have an atheistic agenda. At the announcement for the discovery of the Higgs particle, one of the scientists actually thanked “nature” rather than God!16 And yet, many of the properties of our universe appear to have been engineered or “fine-tuned” in order to make our existence possible. Some evolutionists believe that the multiverse of inflation theory can explain this fine-tuning apart from a Creator, but this argument is seriously flawed.17

The discovery of the Higgs boson is a triumph for modern theoretical physics. Christians can and should celebrate the accomplishments of true science, but they have no need to be intimidated by the “vain imaginations” (Romans 1:21) of those seeking to deny their Creator. (JH,ICR)

*** Will Myers

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Noah’s Flood: A Bird’s-Eye View

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Will Myers

By Dr. Hugh Ross

Ms. Johnson smiles and settles her class for the week’s lesson. She opens the Bible on her lap and begins to read the story of Noah’s flood. Her first-graders sit cross-legged on the floor, wiggling a little but listening quietly. When she comes to Gen. 8:9, some children lean forward to hear her softened voice: “The dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to [Noah] . . . for the water was on the surface of all the earth.”

“The whole Earth?” big-eyed Bobby squeaks.

“Yes,” Miss Johnson replies, “The whole Earth.” Thus, a Sunday school teacher often settles the question of whether the Genesis Flood was global or regional.

But the question persists. In fact, it continues to arouse great passions within the Christian community. Both biblical inerrancy and scientific credibility are at stake. A quick reading of the English text of Genesis 6-9 gives readers—at least since the time of world exploration—the impression of a global event. However, scientific evidence to the contrary seems clear and compelling. This evidence includes the lack of sufficient quantities of water and the ark’s inadequacy to hold every land-dwelling species on Earth. This dilemma produces a painful tension for those who take both Scripture and science seriously.

Following rigorous rules of biblical exegesis (discovering the original intent of text), a thoughtful reader finds that a global flood interpretation is neither as obvious nor as consistent as a superficial reading may suggest. Given a commitment to the veracity of both the Genesis text and the scientific record, a plausible scenario begins to emerge. The case for a regional flood can be divided into four general categories: theological, textual, anthropological, and geological.

A Theological Perspective

Given that Genesis 6-9 tells the story of God’s act of judgment against wholesale reprobation and spiritual ruin, scriptural integrity hinges primarily on whether the Flood killed all humanity except for the family of the one man who feared God. In other words, the key theological point is whether or not the Flood was universal in its effect, regardless of its physical extent. The original Hebrew text supports a universal flood impact and allows for a regional locus when viewed in context.

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s judgment against sin is shown to be limited by the impact and extent of human wickedness. Usually it falls upon the sinners themselves, their children for several generations, birds and mammals used in their agricultural pursuits, their material possessions, and in extreme cases, their agricultural lands. If human life had not yet spread beyond Mesopotamia, God would have no reason to destroy those distant regions and the animal life there.

Textual Considerations

Genesis 8:9 records that the dove sent out by Noah could find no place to set her feet “because there was water over all the surface of the earth.” Yet four verses prior, in Genesis 8:5, the text says that the flood waters had receded enough so that for Noah the “tops of the mountains became visible.” Correct interpretation here depends on establishing the dove’s frame of reference. Likewise, the phrase “under the entire heavens” in Genesis 7:19 must be interpreted from Noah’s perspective in Mesopotamia, not from a modern global perspective.

Several examples from other passages of Scripture demonstrate this need for careful interpretation. In 1 Kings 10:24, the reader learns that “the whole world [emphasis added] sought audience with Solomon.” Did every tribe from the Americas and the Far East send representatives? Few, if any, would make such an assumption. The most distant visitor mentioned in the biblical text is the queen of Sheba, a region near current Ethiopia (1 Kings 10:1-13). Romans 1:8 describes the faith of the Romans being reported “all over the world,” but most readers understand Paul to mean Rome’s world—“throughout the Roman Empire”—not every region of the planet.

Further help in interpreting the Flood text comes from Psalm 104. Verses 5-9 describe the recently formed Earth, a period before creation of advanced life, when oceans completely covered the globe. As the continents arose, the water collected in the ocean basins. The events described in these verses perfectly align with known geologic facts and the formation of the first land masses on creation day three (Genesis 1:9-10). The Psalm then goes on to clearly state that water would never again completely cover the planet.

An Anthropological Perspective

Treacherous mountains to the north and east, and inhospitable deserts to the south and west made the well-watered Mesopotamian Plain a difficult place for early humans to leave. Virtually all world history texts designate this area as the “cradle of civilization.”

The most repeated command of God to humanity in Genesis 1-9 is to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:26, 28; 9:1; and 9:7). God’s repeated insistence is indicative of man’s consistent rebellion. People apparently resisted God’s command to fill the earth so strongly that God directly intervened at Babel (Genesis 11:9) to scatter them. As further evidence for man’s failure to expand beyond the Mesopotamian region, all people mentioned in Genesis 1-9 lived in that locale.[1] And it is a large area. Today more than 20 million people live in the modern country of Iraq, which encompasses most of the Mesopotamian Plain.[2]

A Geophysical Perspective

A regional flood interpretation fits the scientific facts about the quantity of water available in Earth’s crust and atmosphere. Genesis 7:11-12 indicates that the floodwaters came from Earth’s aquifers and atmosphere and eventually (according to Gen. 8:1-5), returned to those places. Physical scientists can calculate that Earth contains only 22% of the water required to cover every mountain on the planet.

Some interpreters have postulated radical geologic changes over the entire Earth during the Genesis flood year as a way to reduce the required quantity of water. However, such monumental rates of plate tectonics and erosion defy all geologic evidence collected over the last 200 years. Additionally, the ark could never have withstood the catastrophic forces generated.

The geologic history of Earth is well understood based upon observable tectonic processes, constantly improving radiometric dating techniques, and thousands of deep core samples taken over the entire globe.[3] Geology research findings do not support a global flood interpretation. On the other hand, a regional flood interpretation can be tested and verified.

Even a localized flood of the magnitude demanded by the text and by theological considerations depends on God’s direct action. Atmospheric and geologic processes sufficient to bring about the convergence of vast quantities of water at one place, at one time, defy explanation as “coincidental” random occurrences. Although God’s intervention is difficult to prove scientifically, certain factors can be tested to show the plausibility of such an interpretation.[4]

One factor is the geography of the Mesopotamian region. More specifically, the region’s topography combined with the Flood’s extreme meteorological conditions could support the containment of the floodwaters for several months. These floodwaters would have been deep enough to destroy all humanity and associated animals except those on the ark.

Topographers can use digital elevation data to make a shaded relief map (figure 1). Although subjectively appealing, this type of map offers limited help in analysis and measurement.

Figure Shaded Relief Map of the Middle East[5]

A more effective way to analyze topography is to create an elevation layer tint to depict bands of elevation. Using a computer and geographic information system (GIS) software, the band/elevation combinations can be adjusted to make the desired information stand out visually. The widths of the bands also provide a general indication of slope. Elevation layer tints of the Middle East region have been made in the past, but typically from data with elevation posts at only one-kilometer intervals. Although general topography can be seen with one-kilometer data, subtle details in the terrain cannot be discerned (figure 2).

Figure 2 Elevation Layer Tint of the Middle East from 1-Kilometer Data [6]

An elevation layer tint of the Mesopotamian region from 100-meter data (figure 3) created from digital elevation data with an elevation post every 3 arc seconds (~100 meters) yields significant detail.[7] The preparation of the layer tint presented here required importing 204 one-degree cells of data into ArcView GIS software. The next step was to merge the cells into one huge gridded data set covering 892,000 square miles. The data in each cell were then normalized into seven colored bands for ease of viewing and interpretation. Modern political boundaries and vectors representing the two major rivers in the area were added for reference. Finally, modern country names and map annotations were added for clarity. Because of the resolution of the elevation data, intricate topographic details can be seen at 200-, 300-, and 400-meter elevations corresponding to the probable extent of the Genesis Flood.

Figure 3 Elevation Layer Tint of the Mesopotamian Region from 100-Meter Data

Several important deductions can be made from the higher-resolution elevation layer tint (figure 3):

1. The topography of the Mesopotamian region forms a huge U-shaped bowl that stretches 600 miles from the Persian Gulf to the northwest. Steep escarpments that rise quickly from less than 200 meters to 1,000 meters set boundaries for the Mesopotamian Plain on the north and the east. Terrain that rises gradually, but consistently, to heights above 400 meters forms the southern and western boundaries. Elevations above 400 meters fully contain the Mesopotamian Plain except where it meets the sea.

2.  The biblical flood account refers to extraordinary geophysical events. Huge underground aquifers (“the springs of the great deep” in Genesis 7:11) suddenly “burst forth.” In addition, Genesis 7:12 states that “the floodgates of the heavens” opened, and rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights. In other words, hard rain fell in the region continuously for 40 days. Meteorologically, these factors constitute an unprecedented rain event in a region that averages only 10-20 inches of rainfall per year.[8] No natural explanation exists for a storm so large, intense, or persistent in this region.

A super-storm of this unprecedented magnitude would have produced an enormous surge in the Persian Gulf. During a storm surge, the force of the winds circulating around the storm’s low-pressure center pushes water ashore. A large hurricane can cause storm surges 50 miles wide and 25 feet deep.[9] Shallow coastal waters like those in the Persian Gulf only amplify a storm surge (see Figure 1). And, greater storm surges are observed with slow-moving storms. The Genesis super-storm remained stationary for at least five weeks; so the height of the storm surge must have been larger (by some incalculable amount) than any Earth has experienced since that time. A storm surge that reached 200 meters deep certainly would have been sufficient to sustain the destructive flood levels for the length of time Genesis records.

Assuming the Earth’s entire human population lived on the Mesopotamian Plain at that time, a flood that reached 200 to 300 meters deep would have destroyed all humanity on the land. The geographical extent of such a flood would have included areas that today belong to Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Syria (see figure 3).

3. The account of the ark’s resting place also seems geographically and historically plausible. Genesis 8:4 describes that place as the “mountains of Ararat,” well below the highest probable flood elevation (~400 meters) in what is now north central Iraq. Figure 4 provides a view of the raw elevation data in the layer-tint project prior to normalization. The rugged and steeply ascending mountains of Ararat are clearly visible. On a side note, one may logically assume that no post-Flood society would have left the ark’s precut lumber unexploited; searching for the ark most likely represents a fruitless exercise.[10]

Figure 4 Elevation Data in the Mountains of Ararat Region

Although the exact geographical extent of the Genesis Flood may never be known, geologists can say with some assurance that the event described in Scripture makes sense as a localized, but universal—with respect to humans and their animals—catastrophe. This interpretation of the Genesis Flood text fits the facts in evidence. A worldview that carefully and respectfully integrates biblical data with scientific data provides coherent and testable answers to big questions of life—including questions about origins, meaning, morality, and destiny.[11] A regional flood interpretation of Genesis 6-9 provides one of the cornerstones of the truth about human history that ought to be taught in Sunday school.

Steve Sarigianis is a research engineer and retired U.S. Army officer with a master of science degree in Geography from Penn State. He has extensive experience in the field of military mapping and has taught geography and astronomy at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Sidebar: Water-level Math (by Hugh Ross)

The Genesis text does not specify the exact depth of the floodwaters. It states only that the ark floated up on the waters and that the nearby hills were so inundated that from Noah’s perspective the whole face of Earth was covered with water. That is, from one horizon to the other, all Noah could see was water.

An ark 450 feet long by 75 feet wide by 45 feet high, loaded with animals and supplies, probably needed a draft of at least 20 feet. If Noah stood on top of the ark, his eye level would have been approximately 30 feet above the waters (refraction corrections included). The water level horizon for him would have been about 8 miles away. Any hill more distant than about 15 miles, sticking up even a hundred feet or more above the water, would have been invisible. Hills higher than 500 feet and 1,000 feet above water level would have been beyond the possible view of Noah if they were more than 28 and 38 miles distant, respectively.

Are there any regions in Mesopotamia where, if the Tigris and/or Euphrates Rivers overflowed their banks by a depth of 20 feet or so, water would extend to 28 or 38 miles on either side? Yes. Such regions exist in both southern and middle Mesopotamia. It would be difficult, though not impossible, to imagine how so little water could wipe out all humans and all the birds and mammals associated with them. Fifty feet, a hundred feet, or a few hundred feet depth of water would provide a more realistic scenario.

The rate at which a 50-foot, 100-foot, or higher surge of water above the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers would flow out to the Persian Gulf depends upon the slope of the land. From 400 miles northwest of Ur to Ur (the location of the Persian shore at the time of Noah), the Euphrates and Tigris rivers drop just 300 feet in elevation. This drop provides a grade of only about 0.01 percent. With that gentle a slope, the Flood waters would have moved very slowly out to the Persian Gulf. Moreover, for several months after the rain stopped, any water that exited to the Gulf would have been replaced with runoff from springs and melting snow on the distant mountains that surround the Mesopotamian Plain.

Genesis 8:1 states that God removed the floodwaters by sending a wind. Given the gentle slope of the land, evaporation plays a more significant role than gravity in removing the water. Such a scenario is consistent with the worst floods that have struck the Mississippi Valley, for example. The water rose 50 feet above the banks in those Mississippi floods and then it seemed to stand still.1 Residents of the region noticed little discernable movement. They had to wait for the waters to dry up.

Just how effective is evaporation for removing flood waters? During a typical Southern California summer the swimming pools lose an average of one inch of water per day to evaporation. Lower humidity, higher heat, and a strong wind can triple or quadruple that rate. Over the 335 days during which Noah’s Flood receded, that would add up to 84-112 feet of evaporation. If gravity had removed about half that much water, the total water depth removed would have been 126-168 feet. That is easily enough water to account for Noah’s seeing nothing but water for as far as his eyes could see. That is easily enough water to destroy all of Noah’s contemporaries and their animals outside the ark. And, that is easily enough water to carry the ark to the foothills of Ararat. (SS,RTB)

*** Will Myers

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Extraterrestrials Relationship to God

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Will Myers

There is no reason in the world for any informed person not to believe in UFO’s. There are now hundred of thousands who has seen a UFO including two former presidents of the USA, and a governor plus thousands of professionals. We have hours of videos available on the internet which show one UFO after another.

A former employee of the Federal Government whose job was to distinguish the different species of aliens reported that 47 different species has been documented. The truth is that the government has a warehouse full of UFO’s alone with many alien bodies.

The question is not do they exist, but what are their intents. So far, alien presence has mostly only caused fear among us humans, and only a few destructive acts such as shooting down a fighter jet which was attacking them. Aliens have done a few mischievous acts such as temporarily knocking out the electronics on a nuclear missile military base.

The government is no longer threatening person to not speak of such occurrences, but the government is now pleading the Fifth, and strategically allowing tid bits of info to leak to the public. The question now is what are the aliens relationship to God? Are they Christ like?

My theory of Aliens is that the ones that we have observed is subject to the same physics as ourselves; of course, much advanced in applied physics and technology; therefore, they are from our future. Although, there is a possibility that the species known to the government are actually robots created by a far superior entity who is existing in a higher conscious, and the aliens who come into our environment are doing the will of those entities.

I believe that our relation to God, our Creator, encompass the same conditions as the Extraterrestrials; they just know more details than humans. Humans are working (Vspace) to develop into the fullness of a potentiality (Uspace). God is sovereign and eternal with all power; God can intervene into Uspace or Vspace at anytime, but each potentiality’s capacity is set by God; also the nature of the potentiality has been established by God; it is in our future.

Human’s with their fragmented knowledge and varying spirits will never synthesize Uspace. Any attempt by man results in a Frankenstein with many of fragmented parts. Any philosophy will only give a temporary dim shadowy view of God’s Truth Who is in Christ Jesus, His Son; only God can send His Holy Spirit to anyone. God’s Holy Spirit is whole without cracks or fragments. It’s a pure Spirit, and there is only one for us humans (symbolically represented by Uspace). It’s a continual centralized force in our lives, and applies to aliens who are in this material universe with the same physics as us.

God rewards all endeavors which are for the betterment of civilization. Science and all other disciplines has been ordained by God at the time of creation.  Man can continue infinitum or at an instant realize God’s truth. Aliens are possibly still on this infinite journey into the physical universe without discovering their higher conscious as related to God, The Creator of all. Man shall only follow the same journey until realizing God’s Truth.

There is an end to this physical universe.

John 1:33; “And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”

Acts 2:4; “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

1 Corinthians 2:13; “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

Ephesians 1:13; “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

1 Thessalonians 4:8; “He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.”

Revelation 21:10; “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,”

Mark 13:26; “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”

***Revelation 1:7; “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

*** Will Myers

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Particle Reservoir Blunts Solar Storm Damage

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Will Myers

Our Sun looks remarkably stable, but as with all other stars, its magnetic field exhibits variability. This variability leads to events where the Sun’s magnetic field connects to Earth’s and causes an influx of charged particles. Recent observations show that Earth’s magnetic field houses a reservoir of charged particles that blunts the disruptive effects of such “reconnection” events. The implications of this research support the idea that Earth was specially designed in order to support advanced technological civilizations.

Imagine operating a telegraph in the middle of the night when, suddenly, you start receiving spark shocks from the machine. Though you disconnect the telegraph, it continues to function, driven by some unknown power source. Stepping outside, you see a brilliant aurora covering much of the sky with light strong enough to read by. Later reports reveal that the aurora was visible as far south as Hawaii.

As incredible as this scenario sounds, such conditions arose during the 1859 Carrington Super Flare. These electromagnetic “storms” occur when the magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth interact. Fortunately, as recently reported in Science, Earth’s magnetic field features characteristics that serve to blunt the impact of these storms on advanced civilization.

Earth’s Natural Shield

Day after day, the Sun moves across the sky and provides a steady source of heat and light for a large fraction of life on Earth. But despite the Sun’s seeming constancy, scientists know that a number of violent solar events (flares, coronal mass ejections, and others) do impact Earth, as was the case in 1859 when the two bodies’ magnetic fields “reconnected” (see animation here).

During these reconnection events, large amounts of hot plasma from the solar wind gain a path directly toward Earth. The efficiency of the reconnection event plays a central role in determining the amount of energy transferred from the solar into Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere. However, recent observations revealed that the planet’s magnetic field houses a reservoir of charged particles that rush out toward the reconnection region in such a way that dampens the efficiency of reconnection.1 Consequently, each reconnection event causes much less damage to Earth’s surface than it would without the reservoir.

Assessing Other “Habitable” Planets

This research highlights yet another feature that any putative “habitable planet” must possess in order to be truly habitable—at least for human-like life and advanced civilization. Specifically, the planet must generate a substantial magnetic field otherwise it cannot host the reservoir of charged particles to dampen reconnection events.

Scientists have expressed much interested in M-dwarf stars because they represent about 75 percent of all stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Moreover, research indicates that many, if not all, M-dwarf stars host planets. The dimmer nature of these stars means the region where a planet could host liquid water resides much closer to the star, which results in tidal locking such that the planet has no magnetic field.

The number of known planets, as well as the number of environments where those planets reside, continues to grow. At the same time, the list of conditions required for advanced life (based, at least, on what we know from Earth) grows more stringent. Such a finding comports well with the idea of a God who fashioned Earth for human life and then commanded humanity to study creation in order to manage it well. (JZ,RTB_)

*** Will Myers

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UNIVERSAL PROCESS OF LIFE

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Will Myers

We exist in a continuum of dynamics; nothing ever absolutely stop. We do have things that last a long time such as diamonds or stones, but after an eon of time they even change. The universe has an end as predicted by many experts. God has created this dynamic existence which is visible and temporary, but what is invisible is eternal.

Romans 1:20

King James Version (KJV)

” For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

We are submerged in the supernatural power of God, our Creator (Uspace). Eternal God is infinite in all respects; an Infinite Potentiality, but humans are limited and our minds must be supported by matter which God have conserved in energy packages in many ways since matter is actually a bundle of energy. Humans are capable of receiving the Uspace potentiality, a connection to God’s supernatural life; the possession of God’s Holy Spirit. Living with the Uspace potentiality called in the bible The Spirit Of Truth Who God put in the world, we know God as our Heavenly Father.

In our beginning until present we have placed emphasize on the material, and we are discovering the underlining principles of this world. As we make discoveries we are actually gaining the ability to predict the behavior of our environment (Vspace). In doing such, we are learning the nexus of nature. There is always a nexus because nature never stops. Vspace is that potential of all nexus’. These nexus’ in nature reveals the eternal character of God.

Humans make observations after observations (S: viewing something), and learns some principles (QV: immutable, unchangeable, and variance is a constant; the same thing happen over and over). Qua Variance (QV) is the set of all principles that show how God made things to work. Principles are usually invisible and abstract such as Force = mass x acceleration; we don’t see the force but we see mass and the acceleration of the object. Man builds on his knowledge (qv: a bit of information or a body of information acquire by man). We learn with each observation of the visible and the temporary.

The God Equation, QV[S(1)]qv(1) + QV[S(2)]qv(2) = QV[S(3)][qv(1) + qv(2)],  symbolically describes the universal process of each life in harmony and conjunction with the material universe. It is a metaphysically equation. We are always in the hand of God.

Isaiah 28:16; “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Zion means the essence of things.

Isaiah 8:14; “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

1 Peter 2:8; “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”

Jesus, the Son of God, came from God Who is God among us in the flesh. Man would never qualify or receive the Uspace Potentiality due to selfishness which has innate sin that perpetrate strife.  God had to send a perfect life (Uspace Potentiality) to be the God standard for us to receive eternal life for all that accept Christ Jesus as a substitute in their life.

Humans are locked into the universal process, and there is no rest except they receive eternal life. Science and technology comes from this process, and God rewards in many ways; God gives partial credit, and rewards us for trying our best. Although, the path to His Kingdom is by Jesus, the Son of God. This process is inevitable whether the Lord return to the kingdom of God alone or with His flock. Jesus is the fulfillment of Vspace = Uspace; our supernatural connection to God in which all than know that God is our Father.

*** Will Myers

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GOD PREDESTINED TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Will Myers
GOD CREATED THE ELEMENTS (His dirt), and the elements to work in a way that allow man to create the technology that exist today. God predestined all inventions of man. From His design of humans and the elements manifested all that we have now. Man is in a process of discovering what God has made.
The interactions and affairs of men gives precepts of God’s morality. Just as the elements has unique methods to make a thing our relationship with God, our Creator, has a unique procedure called spiritual laws. The Word of God gives us those rules. For God is our Heavenly Father in the name of Christ Jesus. The purpose of life is to be in His presence.
Romans 1:20
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
Our inventions are like toys from God to mimic life in His Kingdom. This gives an umption to believe that life is a delusion of a true reality. I prefer to believe that life is experiencing and being conditioned unto the truth of God, our relationship with our Father. In Jesus, the Son of God, is the presence of God.
John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Hold loosely to things of the world, and hold tightly to the things of God. God allows one to go through things to make you turn loose of a worldly thing and to make you hold tightly to His things in order to bring you closer to Him.
*** Will Myers
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When Is Y-Chromosomal Adam’s Birthday?

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Will Myers

A study published in 2013 by scientists from University of Arizona reported a date for Y-chromosomal Adam at 338,000 years ago. This date made Y-chromosomal Adam almost 200,000 years older than mitochondrial Eve, presenting a problem for the RTB creation model for humanity’s genesis. New work by researchers from University of Houston and Johns Hopkins University identifies a number of problems with the University of Arizona study. The team also arrived at a finding that makes it reasonable to think that Y-chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve were part of the same population and, consequently, the genetic male and female progenitors of humanity.

My father was never certain of his own age. Though he had a birth certificate from India that recorded his date of birth as May 17, 1911, his parents had lied about his age, claiming he was older than he actually was so they could enroll him in school early. The fabricated birthdate became instantiated in the official records.

Anthropologists face a similar uncertainty problem with Y-chromosomal Adam. Determining when the male progenitor of humanity lived is fraught with all sorts of difficulties, as a new study reported by researchers from the University of Houston and Johns Hopkins University attests.1 This difficulty has wide-ranging implications for evolutionary and biblical models for humanity’s origin.

Finding Adam’s Birthday

When RTB put forth its human origins model in Who Was Adam? (2005), the most comprehensive analyses of Y chromosome variants returned a date for Y-chromosomal Adam between 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. Studies conducted in 2011 and 2013 made use of a larger portion of the Y chromosome and rare Y chromosome variants to estimate dates of 142,000 ± 16,000 and between 101,000 and 115,000 years ago, respectively. Two other studies published in 2013 reported that the last ancestor of all modern humanity lived between 120,000 and 156,000 years ago and 180,000 to 200,000 years ago, respectively.

These studies are significant because they bring the dates for Y-chromosomal Adam in line with the dates for mitochondrial Eve (most recently determined to have lived about 150,000 years ago). This finding means that it is reasonable to think that Y-chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve were part of the same population. I have argued that Y-chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve can be viewed as the biblical Adam and Eve. For this proposal to be feasible, the genetic male and female progenitors had to live at the same time.

Missed Meeting?

Prior to these recent studies, a large discrepancy existed between the dates for Y-chromosomal Adam and those for mitochondrial Eve. This difference prompted some evolutionary biologists to claim that Y-chromosomal Adam never “knew” mitochondrial Eve. In other words, if Y-chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve lived at different times, then they must have been part of distinct populations, a scenario incompatible with the traditional reading of the biblical account of human origins. Eliminating this troubling discrepancy would improve the scientific credibility of the biblical account of human origins.

However, another study published in 2013 by scientists from University of Arizona created commotion when its authors reported a date for Y-chromosomal Adam between 237,000 and 581,000 years ago, with the most likely age at 338,000 years. Once again, a possible discrepancy posed a potential problem for a biblical human origins model.

At the time the University of Arizona study was published, I pointed out that the date they proposed for Y-chromosomal Adam was about 200,000 years earlier than the first appearance of modern humans in the fossil record––raising questions about the result’s validity. I also noted that careful consideration of this study’s approach to calculating the date of Y-chromosomal Adam reveals that the mutation rate the investigators employed to calibrate the molecular clock was slower than that used in previous studies.

If they had used the same mutation rate as other researchers did, their estimated date for Y-chromosomal Adam would have been closer to 209,000 years ago. The researchers based the mutation rate they used on whole-genome sequence comparisons of people living today, but this type of calibration is probably invalid.

Flaws Corrected

The new work by scientists from University of Houston and Johns Hopkins University affirms the very points I made several months ago. Not only did these researchers highlight the discrepancy between the genetic data and the fossil record, but they also pointed out that the University of Arizona scientists used flawed calibrations.

Other problems were also identified. For example, the University of Arizona team used unusually long generation times, compared DNA sequences of unequal length, and employed unusual statistical methods in their analysis. All these issues contributed to the much-older date for Y-chromosomal Adam. The team from University of Houston and Johns Hopkins University reanalyzed the data gathered by the team from University of Arizona with these concerns in mind. They generated a date for Y-chromosomal Adam of about 208,000 years in age, which is in line with other studies. Once again, it looks like Y-chromosomal Adam lived at the same time as mitochondrial Eve.

One key lesson from this episode identifies how susceptible molecular clock analysis can be. In this case, two teams achieved radically different results from the same data set. Molecular clock analysis is sensitive to the mutation rates used for clock calibration, the data set used for the calibration, generation time employed in the analysis, DNA sequence length used in the comparisons, and the specific statistical methods employed.

In reality, we will likely never know the precise date for when Y-chromosomal Adam (and mitochondrial Eve) lived. The dates from molecular clock analysis must be treated as crude estimates at best, but they should not discourage investigation of these dates and inquiry of such weighty matters as humanity’s origin. (FR,RTB)

*** Will Myers

 

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